Defying the 'norm': Bill Hamilton, 92, is biking further than ever before

The UpBeat is a section in the Citizen where readers can submit their own feel-good stories. This was submitted by David Sweanor.

In 1999, Kingston Whig-Standard columnist Murray Hogben noticed Bill Hamilton out on one of his bicycle rides from his home on Howe Island Ferry Road near Kingston.

Hamilton, then 75 years old, was on his way to a coffee shop in Gananoque, On. He did this 36-km ride frequently. Impressed by Hamilton’s commitment to healthy living, Hogben wrote an article about him.

Today, Hamilton, at the sprightly age of 92, is riding further than ever before.

In 2007, Hamilton and his wife Bette moved to Kemptville. Among the things he brought with him was a long-time interest in a healthy lifestyle. He has continued his bike rides to a coffee shop — only now it is for frequent trips to the always-welcoming Village Bean Coffee House in beautiful Merrickville.

At 92, Hamilton is doing a 44-km round trip in place of the 36-km one he did 17 years ago.

Hamilton was born in 1924 in Cowansville, Que. and, like most young people, was very active. He recalls being a “hockey fanatic” when in school, when all the rinks the school team played on were outdoors.

He had a paper route for the Montreal Star that not only netted him five cents per week from the 18-cent weekly subscription price, but allowed him to make use of the newspaper’s offer of a bicycle for their paper carriers at the wholesale price. Hamilton bought a CCM bike for $38.

As a 15 year old, he once rode that bike to St. Albans, Vt. and back – a day trip of more than 120 km.

Unlike many others, Hamilton never lost his interest in staying healthy and active. He played hockey, including while in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War, cross-country skied and stretched the education allowance he received as a veteran by walking the eight kilometres to and from McGill University rather than taking a streetcar.

“As an anti-depressant I’ve always found a good physical workout to be much more effective than a pill,” said Hamilton.

After a degree in commerce and completion of his chartered accountancy qualification, he ultimately became chief financial officer of a couple Montreal companies while he and Bette raised their daughter Beth and sons Neil and Tim.

He particularly enjoyed his many years with the deep sea shipping company Fednav. Hamilton remembers being asked to visit with one of the octogenarian founders of the company while on a trip to its bank in New York City.

As CFO, he prepared himself with extensive documentation to answer the anticipated battery of questions about the financial health of the company. But that was not the topic of conversation – the only thing the owner wanted to know from such a trusted senior employee was whether the staff in Montreal were happy with their jobs.

They were. And that high level of employee satisfaction was at least in part because Hamilton had helped ensure it was an active workplace. He was an early ambassador of the famed ParticipACTION campaign of the 1970s that encouraged Canadians to be more physically fit. As an avid tennis player, Hamilton had, among other things, got one-third of the 125 staff involved in the sport and said some of them had ultimately discovered they had real talent for the game.

Hamilton retired in 1985 at the age of 61, allowing him even more time for physical activity, volunteer work and pursuing his hobby of investing. When not biking or doing yard work, he is often busy doing the accounting for the investments he oversees. He also tends to the garden he maintains at the Bayfield nursing home where Bette passed away two years ago after a long battle with Parkinson’s.

But biking is still a huge part of his life. If you are ever riding a bicycle along the scenic River Road from Kemptville, past Burritt’s Rapids to Merrickville, and spot a determined cyclist on a carbon fibre Giant-brand road bike, and it seems like a real struggle to catch up to him, chances are it’s Hamilton.

“In our society our activities are influenced to some extent by norms,” said Hamilton. “It’s not normal for a 70-year-old person to walk the golf course, and a 92-year-old man riding a bike is a real oddball. We should defy these norms and set our own standards based on what we’re capable of achieving.”

If you drop by the Village Bean (Hamilton’s “favourite drinking spot”) while he is there having his small black coffee and a muffin, feel free to say hello and get to know him. Most everyone in the village already seems to. If you want to discuss politics or financial markets, he is a great companion. If you want to talk about healthy lifestyles, it is hard to imagine you could find anyone better suited to the conversation.

For anyone who thinks it is too big a challenge to put 3,000 km on a bicycle in a season, meeting someone who does such distances in his tenth decade of life can be truly inspirational. With a First World War veteran father who lived to be 90 and a mother who was alert and active at 102, Hamilton had the advantage of both good genes and good role models. And while we can’t choose our genes, we can choose role models. Hamilton makes for a great one.

“To support my active lifestyle I try to eat a wholesome diet — cooked cereal almost every morning and fish, usually salmon, about four times a week — and get enough sleep. And I don’t deprive myself of a beer at the end of a hot day.”

At the rate he’s going, it won’t be surprising if Hamilton is still riding a road bike another 17 years from now. He’ll likely just be riding it farther.

David Sweanor is an Ottawa lawyer, health advocate and an active bicyclist. He and Bill Hamilton often meet at “The Bean” in Merrickville to swap views, investment ideas and fitness tips.

The UpBeat is a section in the Citizen where readers can submit their own feel-good stories.

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